Where are the world's ants? First ever map detailing 15,000 species launched

Four-year project maps location of species, with Australian state of Queensland found to host the greatest number of native species

The world's first ever ant map showing the distribution of the tiny industrious creatures around the globe was launched on Thursday by the University of Hong Kong in a bid to shed more light on the insect world.

The colourful interactive online map which took four years to complete, displays the geographic locations of nearly 15,000 types of ants, with the Australian state of Queensland home to the highest number of native species at more than 1,400.